FRUITING BEHAVIOR AND FRUIT QUALITY OF LEADING MANGO CULTIVARS GROWN IN SOUTH PUNJAB-PAKISTAN

Mango is an important and exportable fruit crop of Pakistan However, it is being cultivated in Indo-Pakistan region from centuries, yet farmers face decline in mango production due to lack of available knowledge about fruit bearing habits of mango trees. In order to provide this basic information, a three year study plan was carried out on 10 elite varieties of mangoes from 2018-2020 in Punjab Pakistan. Data was statistically analyzed through R statistical programing using ANOVA analysis. The data depicts that cultivar Dusehri, Late Retaul, Sansation and Sufaid Chaunsa took maximum flowering on old shoots while Azeem Chaunsa, Kala Chaunsa, Langra, Sindhri and Anwar Retaul on new shoots. Fruit bearing on old shoots was significantly higher in Dusehri (75.80), while minimum on Azeem Chaunsa (0.0). The fruit bearing on new shoots was significantly higher on Anwar Retaul (99.73), while it was minimum on Dusehri (25.06). Significantly higher fruit weight was observed in Sufaid Chaunsa and total soluble solids were higher in Kala Chaunsa while minimum were observed in Sansation (15.93). Acidity was non-significantly different among the cultivars. Hence, it was concluded that Dusehri, Late Retaul, Sansation and Sufaid Chaunsa took maximum flowering on old shoots while Azeem Chaunsa, Kala Chaunsa, Langra, Sindhri and Anwar Retaul on new shoots. Our studies provide understanding of fruiting behavior which helps in devising mango crop’s varietal-specific management system and paves the way for mango’s quality and yield enhancement.